Many of us know that raw eggs are generally not safe to eat yet many recipes for foods like condiments may involve using raw eggs and no cooking.
Have you ever wondered if your mayonnaise is made with raw eggs? I did the research, and here is what I found!
Is Mayonnaise Made With Raw Eggs?
Almost all recipes for store-bought and homemade mayonnaise contain raw eggs unless the recipe is for vegan mayonnaise or egg-free mayonnaise. Generally, these raw-egg mayonnaises will still be safe to consume since the egg or mayonnaise goes through a pasteurization process that kills excess bacteria that could otherwise harm you.
Do you want to learn more about why mayonnaise has raw eggs, if it is safe to eat mayonnaise with raw eggs, and more? Keep reading!
Why Can You Eat Raw Eggs In Mayonnaise?
Generally, most mayonnaise brands contain raw eggs, but mayonnaise brands will also pasteurize their mayonnaise products before selling them.
Pasteurization is a process where high temperatures are applied to liquids for a short period, where the heat kills any microbes in the liquid without affecting the nutritional value or taste.
However, that does not mean all the bacteria is gone after pasteurization because pasteurization is not the same as sterilization, which kills all microorganisms.
Therefore, most store-bought mayonnaise is safe to eat even if they contain raw eggs because the store-bought mayonnaise has been pasteurized.
Does Homemade Mayonnaise Have Raw Eggs?
Normally, most recipes for homemade mayonnaise will call for raw eggs since raw eggs are a staple ingredient to make mayonnaise.
There are a few exceptions to mayonnaise containing raw eggs since products like vegan mayonnaise do not contain any type of egg.
Is Store Bought Mayonnaise Made With Raw Eggs?
Store-bought mayonnaise often contains raw eggs as a primary ingredient unless you purchase egg-free or vegan mayonnaise.
Typically, these store-bought mayonnaise brands opt to use pasteurized eggs to create their mayonnaise.
Is Eating Egg Mayonnaise Safe?
Eating store-bought egg mayonnaise is safe since most manufacturers will put their mayonnaise products through a pasteurization process to kill excess bacteria.
Naturally, manufacturers do not want to risk their customers getting sick from their mayonnaise products, so most brands that offer egg mayonnaise are safe to eat.
In the case of homemade mayonnaise, most people will use store-bought eggs to make homemade mayonnaise.
Generally, most store-bought eggs are pasteurized, meaning that it is safe to eat homemade mayonnaise made with raw store-bought eggs.
However, you should not eat mayonnaise made with raw eggs that did not go through the pasteurization process.
What Happens If You Use Unpasteurized Eggs To Make Mayonnaise?
If you use unpasteurized eggs to make mayonnaise, there is a chance that the eggs could carry germs like salmonella, which can make people sick when consumed.
While unpasteurized eggs may look perfectly fine on the outside, germs can actually infiltrate the egg’s shell without breaking the shell.
Since no heat treatment was used to remove excess bacteria, the likelihood of germs being inside unpasteurized eggs is very high, which can increase your risk of getting sick if you eat unpasteurized eggs.
Therefore, you should only ever opt to use pasteurized eggs for consumption, especially when you are making mayonnaise because mayonnaise requires raw eggs.
Is Hellman’s Mayonnaise Made With Raw Eggs?
Hellman’s mayonnaise does contain raw eggs, but the eggs that Helman’s uses for their mayonnaise are pasteurized, making Hellman’s mayonnaise safe to eat.
Does Heinz Mayonnaise Contain Raw Eggs?
Heinz mayonnaise is safe to consume despite having raw eggs because the raw eggs underwent a pasteurization process to kill harmful pathogens.
Is Duke’s Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
All of the eggs used to create Duke’s mayonnaise are pasteurized to remove potentially harmful bacteria to make Duke’s mayonnaise safe to eat.
Is Nola Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
Unfortunately, Nola does not state whether its mayonnaise uses pasteurized eggs, but it is likely Nola uses pasteurized eggs since Nola mayonnaise is a commercially-made product.
Is Blue Plate Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
Similar to Nola mayonnaise, Blue Plate does not directly mention if the eggs Blue Plate uses are pasteurized, but it may be safe to assume that Blue Plate uses pasteurized eggs to prevent potential sickness.
Is Subway Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
While Subway does not state if Subway opts for pasteurized eggs, it is safe to assume that Subway uses pasteurized eggs for Subway mayonnaise since Subway serves many customers mayonnaise.
Is McDonald’s Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
McDonald’s has said that all of their sauces, including their mayonnaise, contain pasteurized ingredients, meaning McDonald’s mayonnaise is pasteurized.
Is Nando’s Mayonnaise Pasteurized?
Similar to McDonald’s, Nando’s uses pasteurized eggs in all of Nando’s products including Nando’s Perinaise.
Does Miracle Whip Have Raw Eggs?
Miracle Whip does contain raw eggs but Miracle Whip puts their eggs through a pasteurization process to remove pathogens before creating Miracle Whip.
Can You Eat Mayonnaise If You Are Pregnant?
Pregnant women may eat mayonnaise given that the eggs are pasteurized, meaning commercially-made mayonnaise is safe to eat, especially if the brand states that they use pasteurized eggs.
However, it may be best for pregnant women to avoid homemade mayonnaise since you may not be sure what type of eggs were used to make homemade mayonnaise.
Can You Get Salmonella From Mayonnaise?
Generally, it is very rare to get salmonella from store-bought mayonnaise because the pasteurization process that the eggs through is very rigorous.
As for homemade mayonnaise, using store-bought pasteurized eggs will make it highly unlikely for people to get salmonella from homemade mayonnaise.
However, you need to be wary of consuming homemade mayonnaise made with unpasteurized or contaminated eggs as that can give people salmonella.
Have a look at our related articles to find out if mayonnaise has vinegar, if mayonnaise has garlic, and if mayonnaise has soy.
Conclusion
Almost all mayonnaise contains raw eggs since raw eggs are a crucial ingredient in making mayonnaises, the exceptions being egg-free and vegan mayonnaise.
However, most of these mayonnaise recipes will use pasteurized eggs or pasteurize the mayonnaise before selling, making the mayonnaise safe to eat despite containing raw eggs.